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Best Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in Virginia

2023 Best Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in Virginia

12 Colleges
$48,536 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree School for You

With 2,154 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, public administration and social service is the #15 most popular major in Virginia.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

The Best Public & Social Service Master's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 12 schools in Virginia to see which ones offered the best master's degree programs for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia

The following schools top our list of the Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Master's Degree Schools

#1

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

Our analysis found Virginia Tech to be the best school for public administration and social service students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Virginia. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Blacksburg.

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#2

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA

The excellent master’s degree programs at William & Mary helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best public administration and social service schools in Virginia. William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of Williamsburg.

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Out of the 12 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the # 3 spot on the list. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.

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#4

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax.

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#5

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

Out of the 12 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree public administration and social service programs. VCU is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Richmond.

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#7

Radford University

Radford, VA

Radford University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for public administration and social service students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the suburb of Radford, Radford is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

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#8

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

Old Dominion University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree public administration and social service programs. Old Dominion is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk.

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Norfolk State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list. Located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk, Norfolk State is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

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#10

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA

Regent University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree public administration and social service programs. Located in the city of Virginia Beach, Regent is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 2,840
West Virginia 504
Mississippi 752
South Carolina 708
Florida 4,199
Arkansas 683
Alabama 1,668
Kentucky 2,072
Georgia 1,475
Tennessee 1,564
Louisiana 1,118

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 58,326
Public Administration 16,905
Human Services 13,238
Public Policy 6,430
Community Organization & Advocacy 3,096
Other Public Administration 588

Majors Similar to Public Administration & Social Service

Related Major Annual Graduates
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting 142,610
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 73,813
Legal Professions 61,055
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 4,477

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 12 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to University of the Fraser Valley.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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